she died six years later in a refugee camp one day before she was to immigrate to the united states. it was then she also first heard the name jim smith, the american she was told was instrumental in getting her on that plane that got her out of the country. but who jim smith was, why he did what he did, and what became of him remained a mystery. for 18 years, kim and her husband searched for jim smith following dozens of promising leads, always coming up empty. until, that is, kim's adoptive father found a dusty folder in an attic. >> on this page -- >> reporter: with an address that proved to be the clue that led to a grave site in florida where jim smith had been buried in 1980. >> my dream came true after all these years, after 18 years, of trying to find mr. smith, finding jim smith, we had. >> reporter: kim learned that jim smith was a civilian contractor in vietnam. her mother, his house cleaner. they actually lived in his apartment, the one with the balcony on which this picture was taken, the one kim was able to return to recently with her son. but not all successful searche